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Where to Explore these Holidays

Your top holiday events guide + the best family day trips

Hi there Reader

If you haven’t already heard, here’s some great news just in time for the school holidays โ€” all public transport across Victoria is free until 30 April.

Trains, trams, buses and regional V/Line services, all at no cost. Which means there’s never been a better excuse to leave the car at home and take the kids somewhere a bit different!

We’ve built this week’s edition around exactly that idea, with some of our favourite destinations you can reach by public transport โ€” from the CBD to the suburbs to regional Victoria.

Not sure where to start? Our guide to the best day trips from Melbourne by train is a good place to begin.

Remember: No Myki top-up needed โ€” just hop on.

Joyce xx

Holiday Event Picks

๐ŸŒŸ Featured Events

โ€‹Easter Hide & Seek Challenge at Enchanted Adventure (Until Monday 6 Apr) – Climb, slide, wander and explore your way through 25 acres of outdoor fun on the Mornington Peninsula! There’s also a little extra magic with Easter Hide & Seek, where three hidden Enchanted Eggs are waiting to be discovered each day across Easter long weekend. ๐Ÿ“ Arthurs Seat

โ€‹Sea of Light: Convent Kids (Daily, Thursday 9 โ€“ Sunday 12 Apr) A magical 30-minute light installation at Abbotsford Convent for children aged 3+, where little ones become artists of light using UV torches in a glowing world. ๐Ÿ“ Abbotsford – Travel for FREE on Bus 200 or 207 to Clarke Street

โ€‹The Box Show โ€“ Kingston Arts School Holiday Program (Tuesday 14 Apr) Junkyard Beats transform ordinary household junk into an extraordinary musical world in this high-energy performance full of drumming, comedy and creative chaos. ๐Ÿ“ Moorabbin – Travel for FREE to Moorabbin station

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๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Melbourne CBD โž See More

โ€‹Dr Hubble’s Brilliant Bubbles (Various dates until Sunday 19 Apr) Australia’s favourite bubble man is back with square bubbles, bubbles-inside-bubbles and bubbles big enough to fit a person inside. ๐Ÿ“ Melbourne CBD

โ€‹Playhouse Pantomimes: Story Soup (Various dates until Sunday 19 Apr) A brand-new musical pantomime made up entirely on the spot from audience ideas, with puppets, dancing and plenty of laughs. ๐Ÿ“ Melbourne CBD

โ€‹CIRCUS The Show (Daily until Sunday 19 Apr, excl. Mondays) Acrobats, jugglers, aerialists, illusions and a clown with a gigantic 6ft balloon โ€” a high-energy circus show with plenty of comedy for the grown-ups too. ๐Ÿ“ Melbourne CBD

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Melbourne NORTH โž See More โ€‹

โ€‹Bubble Show in Space (Daily until Sunday 19 Apr, excl. Mondays) A million-bubble space adventure designed for under 5s, with fire bubbles, smoke bubbles, shadow puppetry and a bubble party finale. ๐Ÿ“ Carlton

โ€‹Amazing Drumming Monkeys (Daily until Sunday 19 Apr, excl. Mondays) Puppetry, live music, comedy and a Monkey DJ family dance party under the trees at CERES. ๐Ÿ“ Brunswick East

โ€‹CURIOSITY: Building Breakthroughs in LEGOยฎ Bricks (Daily during school holidays) A hands-on exhibition where kids can explore LEGO creations introducing engineering, maths and science. ๐Ÿ“ Bendigo

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Melbourne SOUTH โž See More โ€‹

โ€‹Bounce Patrol Dance Party (Thursday 9 Apr) Australia’s biggest YouTube stars bring their nursery rhymes and catchy tunes to life on stage in two high-energy 40-minute shows. Perfect for ages 1 to 5. ๐Ÿ“ Caulfield

โ€‹Australian Garden 20th Birthday Weekend (Friday 10 โ€“ Sunday 12 Apr) A free weekend of workshops, live music, guided walks and the Big Bandicoot Backyard to celebrate 20 years of Cranbourne’s RBG. ๐Ÿ“ Cranbourne

โ€‹Bubba Licious (Fridays โ€“ Sundays until 19 Apr) A sensory show made just for babies, weaving together puppetry, clowning, shadow play and light to spark joy and wonder in the littlest audience members. ๐Ÿ“ St Kilda

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Melbourne EAST โž See More โ€‹

โ€‹Nature Play Day (Thursday 9 Apr) A free outdoor play day at Cheong Park for kids aged 2 to 10, with interactive nature-based activities and plenty of space to explore. ๐Ÿ“ Croydon

โ€‹Trash with a Porpoise (Thursday 9 Apr) A lively puppet show following the Trash Puppets team on an ocean-saving mission, with a colourful cast of sea creatures and plenty of songs and laughs. ๐Ÿ“ Dandenong

โ€‹Tesselaar Kabloom: Melbourne’s Festival of Flowers (Daily until Sunday 19 Apr) Stunning scenery, live entertainment, delicious food and tractor rides through fields of flowers in glorious autumn weather. ๐Ÿ“ Silvan

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Melbourne WEST โž See More โ€‹

โ€‹Easter School Holidays at Victoria Hotel (Tuesdays + Fridays from 7 โ€“ 17 Apr) Two weeks of free school holiday activities, from slime workshops and canvas painting to K-Pop meet and greets and wildlife encounters. ๐Ÿ“ Yarraville

โ€‹Scienceworks School Holiday Program (Various dates until Sunday 19 Apr) Live science shows, a solar system scavenger hunt, the Colour exhibition, iridescent workshops and Planetarium shows โ€” Scienceworks is stacked these school holidays. ๐Ÿ“ Spotswood

โ€‹Kids Comedy Puppet Show (Various dates from Tuesday 7 โ€“ Sunday 19 Apr) Big blue monster Troggg and his puppet friends bring chaos, colour and catchy tunes to this interactive comedy show for kids 9 and under. ๐Ÿ“ Yarraville

New + Noteworthy

BROUGHT TO YOU BY RBG VIC

โ€‹Garden Party of The Yearโ€‹

Workshops, wildlife, live music and fresh air โ€” Cranbourne’s Botanic Gardens is putting on a FREE Australian Garden 20th birthday celebration. Everyone’s invited on 10-12 April!

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๐Ÿš‡ METRO TUNNEL TO STATE LIBRARY

โ€‹Beyond the Booksโ€‹

Join a free guided tour of one of Melbourne’s most stunning buildings โ€” and don’t miss the Pauline Gandel Children’s Quarter while you’re there.

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๐Ÿš‡ METRO TUNNEL TO TOWN HALL

โ€‹Free + Fabulousโ€‹

Free entry, free public transport and a disco-inspired kids’ exhibition at one of Melbourne’s best galleries โ€” Let’s Party! at NGV is a school holidays winner.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE VIC

โ€‹Holidays at The Vicโ€‹

From messy slime making to meeting Australian wildlife, The Victoria Hotel Yarraville’s school holiday program has something different on every session.

And did we mention the activities are all free?

๐Ÿš‰ V/LINE TO BALLARAT

โ€‹Ballarat Boundโ€‹

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat Wildlife Park, stunning streetscapes and great food โ€” Ballarat is one of the best family day trip destinations, now free to get to.

๐Ÿš‰ V/LINE TO BENDIGO

โ€‹Go Goldfieldsโ€‹

One of regional Victoria’s best family towns, with one of the biggest Easter festivals in Victoria and an epic LEGO exhibition! Now free to get to via PT.

PARTNER PICK

โ€‹Free Feed for Kidsโ€‹

The General Assembly in Southbank has dining out covered these school holidays, with a FREE kids meal with every main you order, plus colouring to keep little ones busy.

๐Ÿš‰ V/LINE TO GEELONG

โ€‹Off to G-Townโ€‹

Most people think of Geelong as a drive-through destination. Take a free train and spend the day exploring how much this city offers for families.

๐Ÿšƒ TRAM TO ELIZABETH STREET

โ€‹Melbourne’s Library Secretโ€‹

You’ve probably walked past the Queen Victoria Market a hundred times. But have you found the gorgeous three level library yet?

Enter to Win

About Joyce Watts

Joyce Watts is a former intellectual property, IT and media lawyer turned serial entrepreneur.

As well as being the founder of TOT: HOT OR NOT she helps businesses with their SEO, email marketing & social media as BrightSmart.com.au; she owns an online bike store CycleStyle.com.au and develops and produces creative experiences for families via WheelieGoodFun.com. She used to publish another popular lifestyle and food blog called MEL: HOT OR NOT The decisive guide to Melbourne.

She lives in inner-city Melbourne with her husband, two children and seven bikes.

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